Grassroots Preview: 17U MN Rise
Grassroots season is underway and the talent pool in the state of Minnesota is incredibly spread out, meaning there should be a lot of really good, competitive clubs. MN Rise has a really nice looking core of the top players…
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Continue ReadingGrassroots season is underway and the talent pool in the state of Minnesota is incredibly spread out, meaning there should be a lot of really good, competitive clubs.
MN Rise has a really nice looking core of the top players from around the Mankato area.
Here’s a quick look
Guards: Dunwa Omot, Isaac Oppegard, Jobe Weimert, Jace Marotz, Rile Hulke, Wyatt Geistfeld
Omot was a breakout guy this past winter for Minnesota Valley Lutheran and is one of the best shooters in southern Minnesota. At 6-foot-4, he’s got really good size for a swingman and it’ll be interesting to see if he adds to his game as a distributor and shot-creator.
Marotz is a teammate of Omot at MN Valley Lutheran and has been a consistent varsity level player for a few years. He’s a solid defender and brings athleticism to the wing for this team.
Weimert is a dynamic scorer from the point guard spot and should give this team some speed and juice at the point of attack.
Hulke averaged 22 points and eight assists for Nicollet last winter while also knocking down 42 percent of his 3-point shots. The increase in competition should be beneficial for him but he’s a really interesting player to keep an eye on with this group.
Oppegard is relatively unproven at the varsity level to this point as Owatonna had a big senior class a year ago and he played a smaller role. But his size should be an asset on the perimeter for Rise. Geistfeld is coming from Martin County West and will likely be asked to fill a role as a shooter on the wing.
Forwards: Wyatt Olson, Jon Zinniel, Reece Melby, Jordan Merseth
This a sneaky good group of forwards starting with Olson, who averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds for a good St. Peter team. He played on the 17U Rise team last year and has the strength and skills to dominate down low.
Merseth was a key piece for a very good Mankato East team last year, commanding attention on the interior and his presence should be a boost for this group this summer. His strength and activity level will be important and his ability to carve out space and produce without getting a lot of usage fits this team nicely.
Zinniel is a prototypical faceup four man who combines a terrific shooting touch and scoring ability with the length and mobility to impact the game on the defensive end at the high level.
Melby was a double-figure scorer for New Ulm last year and he’ll have an opportunity to showcase his game after playing for a team that didn’t have a lot of success.